Hand Dryer

ABSTRACT

A hand dryer has a housing having an interior. At least one exit opening communicating with the interior of the housing is provided. At least one blower motor is arranged in the interior of the housing and blows air in an air stream through the at least one exit opening to the exterior of the hand dryer. At least one heat radiator emits heat rays, wherein the heat rays are directed toward a drying area of the hand dryer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a hand dryer comprising at least one blower motor that is positioned in a housing and blows out air through at least one exit opening.

In hand dryers, the blower motor generates an air stream that exits through the exit opening and dries wet hands after washing. The evaporative heat loss is compensated by heating the air stream. For this reason, it is known to provide the hand dryer with a heater, often in the form of a heating coil. Heating of the air in this way is not very effective and requires high power input. Moreover, after turning on the blower motor, the heat is not immediately available because time is required in order for the heating coil to reach its required temperature. In addition, a non-uniform heat distribution may result which means a loss of comfort for the user.

The invention has the object to design the hand dryer of the aforementioned kind in such a way that it works energy-efficiently and thus in a cost-saving way and such that the heat for assisting the drying process is quickly made available in a simple way.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that the hand dryer is provided with at least one heat radiation means whose heat rays are directed in a direction toward a drying area of the hand dryer.

The hand dryer according to the invention has a heat radiation means whose heat rays are directed toward the drying area. The heat radiation means radiates its heat radiation immediately after switching on so that the heat is immediately available in the drying area. Therefore, the hands located in the drying area are heated immediately so that the drying process is accelerated. The power consumption of a heat radiation means is minimal so that the hand dryer can be operated in a cost-saving and environmentally friendly way. The heat radiation means ensures a uniform heat distribution on the hands. The sensation during the drying process is pleasant. The heat radiation means may be a heat radiator. A heat radiator is to be understood as a heat radiation source and a reflector forming together part of a heat lamp. The hand dryer according to the invention can also be designed such that the heat radiation source and the reflector are spatially separated components. The reflector deflects or directs the heat rays that are emitted by the heat radiation source in the direction toward the drying area. In this way, the hands can be dried quickly after washing.

In another embodiment according to the invention, the heat rays are deflected by at least one mirror to the drying area. The heat radiation can be emitted by a heat radiator or a heat radiation source with spatially separated reflector. In this way, the energy is radiated indirectly through the mirror onto the hands to be dried.

A preferred embodiment is provided when the heat radiator or the heat radiation source radiates the heat rays in a wavelength range of approximately 0.6 micrometers to approximately 2.8 micrometers.

The heat radiator or the heat radiation source are positioned preferably in the flow path of the air stream that is generated by the blower motor. The air stream cools the heat radiator or the heat radiation source so that for the user of the hand dryer there is no risk of being burned should he accidentally contact the heat radiator or the heat radiation source.

Advantageously, the heat radiator or the heat radiation source is arranged within an air guide of the hand dryer. The heat radiator or the heat radiation source is thus protected from damage. An additional mounting space is also not required so that the hand dryer can have a compact configuration.

The heat radiator can be arranged advantageously at the level of the exit opening so that the heat radiation can radiate through the exit opening for the air in the direction toward the drying area.

Preferably, the heat radiator is provided such that it projects into the exit opening. In this connection, between the outer rim of the area of the heat radiator located in the exit opening and the rim of the exit opening an annular gap is provided through which the drying air generated by the blower motor flows out in the direction toward the drying area. The exiting drying air can then be heated by the heat radiation.

It is however also possible to provide the heat radiator in an area adjacent to the exit opening. In this case, for the exit of the heat radiation an additional opening is provided so that the drying air and the heat radiation exit through a separate opening to the exterior.

The heat radiator or the heat radiation source can be advantageously a halogen lamp or an infrared radiator.

The heat radiator or the heat radiation source can be operated at low electrical voltage, for example, 12 V or 24 V. However, it is also possible to operate the hand dryer such that the heat radiator or the heat radiation source are operated with alternating current. In this case, the heat radiators or the heat radiation sources can be operated between 100 V and 240 V alternating current with the regular electrical mains supply.

A preferred and effective drying of the hands results went upon switching on the hand dryer first the heat radiator or the heat radiation source and then, with time delay, the blower motor are switched on.

The heat rays and the air stream meet each other advantageously in the drying area external to the hand dryer.

In an advantageous embodiment according to the invention, the hand dryer has at least two exit openings that are arranged such or configured such that the air streams exiting therefrom meet in the drying area. With this targeted air guiding action, by far most of the drying air can be used for drying the hands located in the drying area while only a very small portion of the air will flow past the drying area. The efficiency of such a hand dryer is therefore very high. Advantageously, the air streams in the drying area form a swirl field that contributes to an excellent drying action.

A simple configuration results when the axes or the exit flow direction of the exit openings are positioned angularly relative to each other.

An optimal air guiding action results when the axes of the exit openings meet in or approximately at a point which is within the drying area. The angular position of the axes of the exit openings has the result that the hand dryer can be designed to be very compact.

Advantageously, the exit openings are provided in angularly positioned wall sections of a wall of the hand dryer. In this case, the angular position of the wall sections determines the exit flow direction of the air streams.

The wall sections can be flat and positioned at an obtuse angle relative to each other. Such wall sections can be produced in a simple way, for example, from a sheet metal part that is appropriately angled. In this context, the exit openings in the wall sections can be provided in the sheet metal part before or after the bending process.

However, it is also possible that the wall is provided with a continuous curvature so that in this case the wall sections provided with the exit openings are also positioned at an angle relative to each other. In this case, the wall sections each have a curved shape and pass continuously into each other.

The heat radiator can be provided in at least one of these exit openings. Advantageously, in all of the exit openings a heat radiator is provided, respectively.

In order to ensure that through the exit openings at least approximately the same air quantities will exit, at least one distributor for the air is provided at a spacing upstream of the exit openings.

A constructively simple configuration results when the distributor is plate-shaped.

In order for the air streams to be supplied in approximately the same quantity to the different exit openings, it is advantageous when the distributor has a course that is matched to that of the wall containing the exit openings.

In order for the drying air in the drying area to have a high speed that is optimal for drying, the hand dryer has at least one acceleration space for the air. This space is formed advantageously in that the distributor and neighboring wall sections define the acceleration space for the air.

In a simple configuration, the acceleration space narrows in the flow direction of the air.

Advantageously, the exit openings have a common flow space upstream thereof which, in the flow direction of the air, is positioned downstream of the acceleration space. The accelerated drying air thus flows into the common flow space and through the common flow space the accelerated drying air is then supplied to the individual exit openings.

In order to provide a satisfactorily high speed of the drying air in the drying area, it is advantageous when the blower motor is a high-pressure blower motor.

The exit openings are advantageously designed as grid or aperture plates.

The exit openings can also be designed to be slit-shaped.

In a further advantageous embodiment the exit openings are formed by a plurality of small bores and/or small slits in the wall of the hand dryer.

In order to achieve optimal drying results, it is advantageous when the exit surface area of the exit openings is designed such that the exit flow speed of the air is greater than approximately 35 m per second.

In order to prevent that during the drying process the water droplets reach the user, it is advantageous when the air stream that is exiting from the exit openings blows slightly at a slant away from the user of the hand dryer and the heat rays are oriented slightly at a slant away from the user of the hand dryer.

The subject matter of the present application not only results from the individual claims but also from the features and specifications disclosed in the drawings and in the description. Even though these features and specifications may not be claimed, they are considered important to the invention inasmuch as they are individually or in combination new relative to the prior art.

Further features of the invention can be taken from the claims, the description and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration in longitudinal section of the hand dryer according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The hand dryer is attached to a mounting plate 1, for example, that is fastened to a wall or the like, for example, by a screw connection. The hand dryer has a housing 2 with an interior in which a blower motor 3 is arranged with which, as is known in the art, an air stream is generated that exits at the bottom from the housing 2.

An air guide 4 is connected to the bottom end of the housing 2 and has a rectangular cross-section (FIG. 2); it is provided with three exit openings 5 to 7. They each have a circular cross-section and advantageously are of the same size.

The air guide 4 widens initially continuously away from the housing in the flow direction of the air. The air guide 4 has parallel longitudinal sidewalls 8, 9 that are connected to each other by narrow sidewalls 10, 11. The sidewalls each are comprised of two wall sections 10 a, 10 b; 11 a, 11 b that are positioned at an obtuse angle relative to each other. The wall sections 10 a, 11 a adjoin the exit end 23 of the housing 2 and diverge in the flow direction of the air. The wall sections 10 b, 11 b are connected to each other by a terminal wall 12 that connects also the longitudinal sidewalls 8, 9 of the air guide 4 with each other. The terminal wall 12 is comprised of three wall sections 12 a, 12 b, 12 c that are positioned at an obtuse angle to each other. The wall sections 12 a, 12 c adjoin approximately at a right angle the wall sections 10 b, 11 b and diverge in the flow direction of the air. The central wall section 12 b is positioned centrally and perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the housing 2.

Each wall section 12 a to 12 c is provided with one of the exit openings 5, 6, 7. The axes 13 to 15 of the exit openings 5 to 7 are positioned at an acute angle to each other. The wall sections 12 a to 12 c and the exit openings 5 to 7 provided therein are oriented such that the axes 13 to 15 meet each other in a drying location 16. In this area, the hands to be dried are located when using the hand dryer. The wall sections 12 a to 12 c are oriented such that the spacing of the drying location 16 from the exit openings 5 to 7 is so large that a satisfactorily strong air stream will impinge on the hands to be dried so that an effective drying action is ensured. The hands to be dried are positioned within a drying area that is schematically indicated by the circle 17 in FIG. 1 and that is so large that the hands are completely, or to a significant degree, enclosed therein. The drying area 17 is positioned external to the hand dryer.

The air guide 4 has a width 18 that is smaller than the width 19 of the housing 2. It has in the illustrated embodiment advantageously a circular cross-section so that the width 19 corresponds to the diameter of the housing 2. The housing 2 however can also have any other suitable cross-section.

The maximum length 20 of the air guide 4 is greater than the housing width 19. In the exit area, the length 21 of the air guide 4 is also greater than the housing width 19. The length 21 is determined by the spacing between the transition of the wall sections 12 a, 12 c into the wall sections 10 b, 11 b.

It should be noted that the described dimensional conditions are not mandatory but that the air guide 4 can also have different dimensions, depending on the field of use of the hand dryer. Also, the described configuration of the air guide 4 is advantageous but the air guide as a whole can also be of a different configuration. For example, it is possible that the air guide 4 has only two, or more than three, exit openings at the exit end. The air guide and the appropriate number of exit openings is to be provided such that the hands located within the drying area 17 are dried quickly and reliably within a very short period of time. Also, the terminal wall 12 must not be comprised of the angularly positioned wall sections 12 a to 12 c. For example, the terminal wall 12 can also be continuously curved to have a concave shape. In such a wall configuration, the exit openings 5 to 7 can also be arranged with their axes positioned angularly relative to each other.

Within the air guide 4 there is a distributor in the form of a distributor plate 22 by means of which the air that is exiting from the exit end 23 of the housing 2 and flows into the air guide 4 is distributed such that from each one of the exit openings 5 to 7 the same air quantity exits, respectively. The distributor plate 22 extends between the two longitudinal sidewalls 8, 9 of the air guide 4 and is attached thereto in a suitable way. The distributor plate 22 is positioned centrally in the air guide 4 and has a central section 22 a that extends parallel to the central wall section 12 b and is located in the area above the central exit opening. The central plate section 22 a is adjoined by the two sections 22 b and 22 c at an obtuse angle. The two sections 22 b, 22 c diverge in the direction toward the terminal wall 12 of the air guide 4. The sections 22 b, 22 c are positioned at a spacing opposite the wall sections 10 a, 11 a and at an acute angle relative thereto. In this way, between the sections 22 b, 22 c and the wall sections 10 a, 11 a positioned at a spacing opposite thereto an acceleration space 24, 25 is formed, respectively. This acceleration space 24, 25 narrows in the flow direction of the air. Accordingly, the air in the spaces 24, 25 is accelerated.

The distributor plate 22 ensures that the air stream that is exiting from the exit end 23 of the housing is distributed uniformly so that through the exit openings 5 to 7 approximately the same air quantities are exiting. The air that is flowing through the acceleration spaces 24, 25 flows into a common flow space 26 which is located in the area above the exit openings 5 to 7. In the flow direction, the flow space 26 is delimited in downward direction by the terminal wall 12 and in opposite direction thereto partially by the distributor plate 22.

The air stream is heated, as is known in the art, in order to speed up the drying process. For heating the air stream, a heater coil can be used, for example.

For operating the hand dryer, an electronic unit 27 illustrated only schematically in FIG. 1 is used. The hand dryer is advantageously designed such that it is automatically switched on when hands are located in the drying area 17. Such an automatic actuation is known in hand dryers and is therefore not described in more detail in this context. As soon as the hands are moved out of the drying area 17, the hand dryer is automatically switched off. However, it is also possible that the hand dryer, as soon as the hands to be dried reach the drying area 17, is automatically switched on and the supply of drying air is time-controlled so that the hand dryer is automatically switched off after lapse of the adjusted drying time period.

Since the air streams that are exiting from the exit openings 5 to 7 are directed into the drying area 17, by far most of the air reaches the hands to be dried so that the drying time is significantly reduced in comparison to conventional hand dryers. The distributor plate 22 ensures that the air streams exit at a high speed and in approximately the same quantity through the exit openings 5 to 7; this provides for a quick drying action of the hands. The high air acceleration is achieved in a simple way by the acceleration spaces 24, 25. The adjoining flow space 26 ensures in the described way that the accelerated air is uniformly exiting to the exterior through the exit openings. Advantageously, the exit flow speed is greater than approximately 35 m per second.

In the illustrated embodiment, the exit openings 5 to 7 are arranged in a line adjacent to each other (FIG. 2). However, it is also possible to arrange the exit openings such that their axes are positioned on a circle, for example. In this context, the axes are positioned angularly relative to each other such that the air streams meet within the drying area 17.

The number of exit openings depends also on their diameter. The smaller the opening diameter of the exit openings 5 to 7, the more exit openings are provided so that the required air quantity reaches the drying area 17.

The exit openings 5 to 7 are of a nozzle configuration and, apart from the disclosed shape, can also be designed as grid or aperture plates or as slits. The exit openings can also be provided in the form of a plurality of small bores and/or small slits in the wall 12.

The arrangement of the exit openings 5 to 7 is selected advantageously such that the air streams will exit from the exit openings slightly at a slant away from the user.

Advantageously, as a blower motor 3 a high-pressure blower motor is employed whose delivery rate is within a magnitude of 30 l per second, for example.

In order to accelerate the drying process in the drying area 17, the hand dryer is provided with at least one heat radiator 28. The heat radiator is arranged such that the heat radiation that is emitted by it reaches the drying area 17. A halogen lamp is used preferably as a heat radiator. The halogen lamp generates, for example, light in a wavelength range of approximately 0.8 micrometer to approximately 5 micrometers, preferably in a range between approximately 1 micrometer up to approximately 4 micrometers, in particular in a range of approximately 1.5 micrometers to 3 micrometers. The shorter the wavelength of the radiation, the faster the heat radiator 28 generates heat. In order to achieve an optimal short drying time for water on the hands to be dried, it has been found that the heat radiator 28 provides an optimal short drying time in a wavelength range of approximately 3 micrometers.

As heat radiators 28 also infrared radiators are conceivable with which heat can also be generated in the drying area 17.

In the illustrated embodiment, a heat radiator 28 is provided in the area of each exit opening 5 to 7. These heat radiators 28 are arranged such that their heat rays meet in the drying area 17 so that in the drying area an optimal heat is developed that causes a quick drying action of the wet hands.

The axes of the heat radiators 28 coincide advantageously with the axes 13 to 15 of the exit openings 5 to 7.

When the exit openings are arranged in a different way than illustrated in FIG. 2, for example, arranged on a circle, the heat radiators 28 are also correspondingly arranged on a circle and correlated with the exit openings 5 to 7.

The heat radiators 28 correlated with the exit openings 5 to 7 are advantageously attached to the wall sections 10 a, 11 a of the air guide 4.

The central heat radiator 28 that is correlated with the exit opening 6 can be attached in an advantageous way simply to the distributor plate 22, in particular to its central section 22 a.

The heat radiators 28 have at the exit end a width that is somewhat smaller than the width of the exit openings 5 to 7. In this way, between the edge of the heat radiators 28 and the edge of the exit openings 5 to 7, an annular gap 29 is formed by means of which the air can exit to the exterior.

The air is accelerated within the hand dryer so much that the air exiting from the annular gaps 29 of the exit openings 5 to 7 have a high speed so that in the drying area 17 a fast drying action of the hands is ensured. With the combined application of drying air and radiation heat in the drying area 17, extremely short drying times are obtained. In order to obtain the high flow speed, the blower motor 3 is advantageously a high-pressure blower motor with which, for example, delivery rates of 60 m per second and more can be achieved for the air as it exits from the exit openings 5 to 7.

In the preferred embodiment, in each of the exit openings 5 to 7 a heat radiator 28 is disposed. However, it is also possible that only in some, or even in only one, of the exit openings 5 to 7 a heat radiator 28 is arranged whose radiation reaches the drying area 17.

The hand dryer can comprise the conventional heating device that is, for example, in the form of a heating coil that is arranged within the housing and that generates heat. The electronic unit 27 in this case can be configured such that first this normal heating device as well as the heat radiator 28 are switched on at the beginning of the drying process so that the drying time can be further reduced. In order to keep the energy consumption low, it is then possible to switch off the normal heating device in the housing 2 at a predetermined time so that only the heat radiators 28 remain switched on.

The use of the heat radiator 28 has the further advantage that through them the drying area 27 can be indicated. For example, the light that is emitted by a halogen lamp as a heat radiator is visible for the user of the hand dryer so that the drying area 17 where the hands are to be positioned is even visually indicated to the user.

Since the heat radiators 28 generate the heat immediately, the drying action by heat starts immediately after switching on the hand dryer. The heat radiators 28 require only little energy so that the hand dryer can be used also in an energy-saving way.

It is not necessarily required that the heat radiators 28 are arranged in the exit openings 5 to 7. It is also possible to arrange at least some or all of the heat radiators in the area between the exit openings 5 to 7 and to orient them such that the heat rays meet each other in the drying area 17. The arrangement of the heat radiators 28 in the exit openings 5 to 7 has however the advantage that no separate openings for passage of the heat radiation generated by the heat radiators 28 are required.

The described heat radiators 28 are designed such that the heat radiation source and the reflector are components of a heat radiation lamp. It is however also possible to provide the heat radiation source and the reflector spatially separate from each other within the hand dryer. The reflector in this context is designed and arranged such that it deflects the heat rays emitted by the heat radiation source into the drying area 17. When the hand dryer has several heat radiators, then only some of the heat radiators can be comprised of heat radiation sources with integrated reflector (heat radiators 28) or of heat radiation sources with separately provided reflector. Both types of heat radiation means can thus be used in combination with each other.

It is further possible to guide the heat radiation indirectly by at least one mirror into the drying area 17.

In all of the described embodiments, it is advantageous when the heat radiator 28 or the heat radiation source is positioned in the flow area of the air stream generated by the blower motor 3. In this way, the heat radiator or the heat radiation source is cooled so that the user will not burn himself should he accidentally contact the heat radiator 28 or the heat radiation source.

In the described embodiments, the heat radiators 28 or the reflectors that are separated spatially from the heat radiation sources are installed such that the heat rays as well as the air stream meet each other outside of the housing 2 or external to the hand dryer in the drying area 17.

The heat radiators 28 or the heat radiation sources can be operated with low electric voltage. For example, 12 V or 24 V can be used. However, it is also possible to operate the heat radiators 28 as well as the heat radiation sources with normal electric mains supply with alternating current between 100 V and 240 V.

An especially effective drying process results when the hand dryer, when turned on, first switches on the heat radiators 28 or the heat radiation sources and subsequently, with time delay, the blower motor 3.

The specification incorporates by reference the entire disclosure of German priority document 20 2012 006 803.2 having a filing date of Jul. 11, 2012.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A hand dryer comprising: a housing having an interior; at least one exit opening communicating with the interior of the housing; at least one blower motor arranged in the interior of the housing and blowing air in an air stream through the at least one exit opening to the exterior of the hand dryer; at least one heat radiation means emitting heat rays, wherein the heat rays are directed toward a drying area of the hand dryer.
 2. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the at least one heat radiation means is a heat radiator.
 3. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the at least one heat radiation means comprises at least one heat radiation source and at least one reflector spatially separated from the heat radiation source wherein the at least one reflector directs the heat rays in the direction toward the drying area.
 4. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the at least one heat radiation means comprises at least one heat radiation source, a reflector, and at least one mirror, wherein the reflector is an integrated reflector or a spatially separate reflector, wherein the mirror directs the heat rays in the direction toward the drying area.
 5. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the heat rays have a wavelength range of approximately 0.6 micrometer up to approximately 2.8 micrometers.
 6. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiation means is positioned in a flow path of the air stream generated by the at least one blower motor.
 7. The hand dryer according to claim 1, further comprising an air guide connected to the housing, wherein the heat radiation means is disposed within the air guide.
 8. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiation means is a heat radiator that is arranged at the level of the at least one exit opening.
 9. The hand dryer according to claim 8, wherein the heat radiator is projecting into the at least one exit opening such that between an outer rim of the heat radiator and a rim of the at least one exit opening an annular gap is defined through which the air stream passes.
 10. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiation means is arranged in an area adjacent to the at least one exit opening.
 11. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiation means is a halogen lamp.
 12. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiation means is an infrared radiator.
 13. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiation means is operated at low voltage.
 14. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiation means is operated at alternating current.
 15. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein, upon turning on the hand dryer, first the heat radiation means is switched on and subsequently, with time delay, the at least one blower motor is switched on.
 16. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the heat rays and the air stream meet in the drying area external to the hand dryer.
 17. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein at least two of said at least one exit opening are provided and are arranged such that the air streams exiting from said at least two exit openings meet in the drying area.
 18. The hand dryer according to claim 17, wherein axes of said at least two exit openings are positioned angularly relative to each other.
 19. The hand dryer according to claim 17, wherein axes of said at least two exit openings approximately meet at a point.
 20. The hand dryer according to claim 17, further comprising an air guide connected to the housing, wherein said at least two exit openings are provided in a wall of the air guide and wherein the wall has wall sections positioned angularly relative to each other.
 21. The hands dry out according to claim 20, wherein the wall sections are flat and are positioned at an obtuse angle relative to each other.
 22. The hand dryer according to claim 20, wherein the wall sections are part of a continuously curved wall.
 23. The hand dryer according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said at least two exit openings is provided with the heat radiation means.
 24. The hand dryer according to claim 23, wherein an axis of the heat radiation means coincides with an axis of the exit opening in which the heat radiation means is arranged.
 25. The hand dryer according to claim 20, further comprising at least one distributor for the air, wherein the at least one distributor is arranged at a spacing upstream of said at least two exit openings.
 26. The hand dryer according to claim 25, wherein the distributor is plate-shaped.
 27. The hand dryer according to claim 25, wherein the distributor has an extension that is matched to an extension of the wall of the air guide.
 28. The hand dryer according to claim 25, wherein the distributor and neighboring wall sections of the air guide define an acceleration space for the air.
 29. The hand dryer according to claim 28, wherein the acceleration space narrows in the flow direction of the air.
 30. The hand dryer according to claim 28, wherein said at least two exit openings have a common flow space upstream thereof in the air guide, wherein the common flow space in the flow direction of the air is downstream of the acceleration space.
 31. The hand dryer according to claim 20, wherein said at least two exit openings are in the form of a plurality of bores and/or slits in the wall.
 32. The hand dryer according to claim 20, wherein an exit surface area of said at least two exit openings is sized such that an exit flow speed of the air is greater than approximately 35 m per second.
 33. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the blower motor is a high-pressure blower motor.
 34. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the at least one exit opening is embodied as grid or aperture plates.
 35. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the at least one exit opening is slit-shaped.
 36. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the air stream exiting from the at least one exit opening and the heat rays are oriented slightly at a slant away from a user of the hand dryer. 